The fact is, we are all guilty of the stereotype of students living on baked beans and instant noodles; there is a reason why this stereotype is a subject of discussion. The food budget is usually tightened between tuition fee, rent and the few (or not so frequent) social engineering or party.
However, living on low-cost carbs and junk food may make you feel listless, have an influence on your alertness, and eventually give you more energy and health. The good news? It is not only possible but also can be easy and gratifying to eat healthily on a student budget in the UK. It only requires some planning and clever tactics.
Shift Your Mindset: Health as an Investment
To begin with, redefine your approach to your food spending. It is much simpler to prioritize healthy food when you see it as an investment in your energy, concentration, and health in the long run, as well as something more than an expense.
You are not only purchasing ingredients but also supplying your brain with the things that it needs to perform well in lectures and your body with what it needs to endure student life. Budget healthy eating is based on this attitude.
Plan Like a Pro: Your Weekly Blueprint
Meal planning is the most powerful tool in your arsenal. When you have nothing planned, you have no choice but to go and spend a lot of money on last-minute takeaways and convenience food at the supermarket.
- Check Your Cupboards: Get what you already know before you go shopping. It is the beginning of your next meal, that half-pack of lentils or tin of tomatoes.
- Plan Meals Around Staples: Build your week around affordable, nutritious pillars: oats, rice, pasta, lentils, beans, and frozen vegetables. The price of dried red lentils is only pennies and can be transformed into curry, soup, or bolognese.
- Embrace Leftovers: Prepare one meal and have it two (or three) times. Prepare a large bowl of chili, stew, or pasta sauce and divide it into served lunches or dinners. This is cost saving in terms of time, money, and energy.
Shop Smart: Navigate the Supermarket
Armed with your plan and with a solid shopping list (keep to it!), go confidently to the shops.
- Adore the Aldi and Lidl Effect: You have discount supermarkets as your new associates. Their main products, which consist of fruits, vegetable produce, tinned food, and dairy, are always the most affordable.
- Freeze your Friend: Although frozen vegetables and berries may be cheaper than fresh, frozen produce is a longer-lasting food, and it is frozen at the optimal level of freshness, preserving the nutrients. They save time and are extremely convenient.
- Go Own-Brand: Replace branded products with the own value range of the supermarket (e.g., Tesco Everyday Value or Sainsbury Basics). In the case of staples such as rice, pasta, and tinned products, there will be no difference in taste.
- Timing is Everything: Visit bigger supermarkets at night to find yellow-sticker discounts on products such as meat, bread, and yoghurts. Consume them on the same day or freeze them.
Cook Simple, Eat Well
Armed with your plan and with a solid shopping list (keep to it!), go confidently to the shops.
- Adore the Aldi and Lidl Effect: You have discount supermarkets as your new associates. Their main products, which consist of fruits, vegetable produce, tinned food, and dairy, are always the most affordable.
- Freeze your Friend: Although frozen vegetables and berries may be cheaper than fresh, frozen produce is a longer-lasting food, and it is frozen at the optimal level of freshness, preserving the nutrients. They save time and are extremely convenient.
- Go Own-Brand: Replace branded products with the own value range of the supermarket (e.g., Tesco Everyday Value or Sainsbury Basics). In the case of staples such as rice, pasta, and tinned products, there will be no difference in taste.
- Timing is Everything: Visit bigger supermarkets at night to find yellow-sticker discounts on products such as meat, bread, and yoghurts. Consume them on the same day or freeze them.
The Golden Rules to Remember
Carry a Water Bottle: Purchasing beverages out is a massive emptier. Tap water is free and healthy.
Reduce Meat: Meat is the costliest product. Have a few vegetarian days in a week with beans, lentils, and eggs as the source of protein.
Food Waste: It is wasting money. Freeze, be inventive with leftovers, and only purchase on demand. Nutritious eating is something that can be taught. It may be a bit of a challenge, but when you have a plan and these ingenious exchanges, you will be eating healthy and affordable food in no time. You and your wallet will be glad you did.